Posh Postage

Handwritten letters and cards are so meaningful. In this day and age of social media and text messages, you should make it a priority to communicate by mail to your friends and family from time-to-time. Sending “thank you” cards after the holidays is a perfect excuse! Don’t you agree that it is a pleasant delight to receive a card in the mail, among the mounds of bills and junk mail?

Every boudoir should be well equipped with good stationary, and if space permits, a writing desk (in my case, my vanity doubles as a desk, for now).

Since I’m all about adding beauty whenever possible, a stamp can make for a great way to add a fun detail to your envelope. I mean, if you’re spending the same price on postage either way, why wouldn’t you opt for a cute stamp?

The only time I collected a stamp was when the U.S. Postal Service released the Marilyn Monroe stamp in 1995, and my dad had a sheet framed for me.

Marilyn Monroe 32 cent stamps (1995)

So, I’m no philatelist, but I was so excited this past summer when the USPS released the first-ever scratch and sniff, “Frozen Treats“, postage stamps (yes, I pre-ordered stamps…is that dorky?). They have pictures of watercolor popsicles and they smell just as sweet.

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I am a child of the 80’s and you weren’t sh*t if you didn’t have a sticker album as a kid, and sticker books in the 1980’s were filled with scratch and sniff stickers. My mum would take my cousin (who was like my sister) and I to the local Hallmark store and we would be allowed to get a “grab bag” that was always filled with fun little goodies. It was guaranteed to have an assortment of stickers, and some other fun items…maybe a Hello Kitty pencil or the like. We would spend, what seemed like, hours in my little boudoir placing them carefully upon the pages of our sticker albums and making trades with one another. I still recall ordering my sticker book (which I still own, packed away in a box somewhere) from a Scholastic book order at school. In any event, these scratch and sniff stamps are a nod to my childhood, and bring me joy as an adult.

I personally find it a pain to visit the post office. There is always a long line, and their hours make it tough if you’re a working girl. Fear not, my friends, USPS.com has even a better selection of stamps than your local post office. There are wedding stamps (mostly with floral designs, which are beautiful for everyday use, as well). Stamps honoring historic figures, like Sally Ride, JFK, and Dorothy Height. Then, there are stamps showcasing legendary entertainers, like John Lennon, Fred Rogers, Lena Horne, Elvis Presley, and Sarah Vaughan. They also have other options, like fruit, flowers (including beautiful pink peach blossoms for the Lunar New Year), a nice Christmas assortment (including Snowy Day from the book by Ezra Jack Keats), sports (round shaped baseball, basketball, etc.) and animated favorites (like Disney Villans [great for Halloween or costume party invites]). There are sooo many options to choose from that you could almost always theme your stamp to your occasion or personal interest.

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I, personally, love the Oscar de la Renta stamps for letters that I send, especially to my girlfriends who will also find joy in them. Each stamp is an image of his different textiles from beautiful evening gowns. These pair nicely with my fashion and designer themed stationary.

My Little Boudoir

Do you use fun stamps when you send letters and cards to your friends and loved ones?